Abstract: | This study presents the determination of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in rice, applying a QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD). The objective of the proposed method is a fast, inexpensive, and easy analysis of aflatoxins. The aflatoxins were separated on a C18 column by isocratic elution with water: methanol: acetonitrile (65 : 25 : 10, v/v/v), and detection was achieved at excitation/emission wavelengths of 360/450 nm, without derivatization. The calibration curves showed good linearity (R2 > 0.99), and the limits of detection and quantification were ≤ 6 and ≤ 8 µg·kg-1, respectively. Average intraday and interday recoveries were in the range 104 - 119 % and 104 - 113 % with RSD % ≤ 12 % for concentrations between 6 - 20 µg·kg-1. The proposed method was tested on rice samples sold on markets, of which none exhibited presence of aflatoxins. |
